This disclosure relates to a painless method and related devices for causing temporary and/or permanent cessation of hair growth using flashlamps. Unwanted hair is an extremely common problem which can be caused by many reasons. There are many products and methods for temporarily and permanently removing hair. The methods can be very temporary such as in waxing, shaving, plucking and depilatory creams. These methods, however temporary, are very popular due to cost, quickness and/or absence of pain involved in the procedure. Electrolysis has been proven to be extremely slow and painful but is popular because of the claimed permanency and economical cost. Laser methods such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,907 which uses a light absorbing cream in contact with the hair to create heat and destroy the hair have been shown to be painful and mostly temporary. Other laser treatments such as those stated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,568 use laser generated optical pulses directed through a transparent contact device which are absorbed by melanin in the hair follicle which consequently heats the follicle and permanently removes it. This method is effective but can be very painful since the high temperature necessary to destroy the hair follicle also destroys some surrounding tissue and skin which can result in hyper-pigmentation, blistering and possible scarring.
The present disclosure provides a method in which the unwanted hair growth can be removed without damage to the skin. One embodiment of the present disclosure is a method to cause cessation of hair growth of multiple hair follicles from a selected area of the skin in an efficient and painless manner. According to the disclosure, the method of hair removal consists of delivering a specific pattern of non-laser generated multiple light wavelengths which pass through the skin and into the hair and its components. The absorption of these various wavelengths results in thermal and photochemical damage to the hair and its components during the hair""s Anagen phase which causes the primary effect of cessation of hair growth. While some treated areas will regenerate some regrowth, additional treatments will alleviate this residual hair growth. The multiple wavelengths that are utilized in this treatment occur at different intensities throughout the wavelength spectrum of 610 nm to 100 nm to produce a pattern that achieves optimal depth penetration. The multiple wavelength spectrum is produced by four flashlamps consisting of a specific mixture of krypton and xenon gas encased by a cerium doped synthetically fused quartz envelope. The four flashlamps are connected to separate user intensity controlled power supplies which are specifically designed to produce an 18 ms pulse duration with a specific pulse discharge pattern to accommodate different size hair follicles. Electrical supply energies of 160-400 joules are input to the flashlamps per cm2 of output. Each flashlamp can be fired simultaneously with an overlap or with a time duration of up to 40 ms between each pulse. The four flashlamps form a pulse train of four individual pulses which results in a treatment shot. Each treatment shot is separated by approximately 3 second intervals to allow the user to move the delivery system to another area of the body for subsequent treatment. The pulse length and characteristic shape of each individual pulse is designed to distribute the energy over a period of time that virtually eliminates damage to the skin which can occur in prior methods. This method also allows adjustment to the intensity of the light source and delay between each individual pulse. The ability to adjust the intensity and delay of the light source allows the user to adjust the treatment shot to accommodate different skin and hair types. The flashlamps utilized in the present disclosure are housed in a copper/zinc head which is connected to a hollow internally reflective rectangular light guide by means of a 610 nm high pass filter. The rim of the light guide is pressed against the skin so as to form an optical seal. The non-collimated light, consisting of wavelengths greater than 610 nm, passes through the 610 nm high pass filter and reflects at infinite angles down the hollow light guide into the skin reaching the hair and its components.
In an alternative embodiment of the disclosure, modification to the output wavelength pattern of the apparatus, by the use of a different light filter, allows the apparatus to be effective in destroying small blood vessels and melanin based pigmented lesions. Additionally, the altered output wavelength and the resulting use of the apparatus in destroying pigmented lesions further allow the apparatus to be utilized in skin smoothing, wrinkle smoothing and the rejuvenation of skin due to an increase in collagen after treatment.